Angel and Elf
by Kassandra21
Summary: A small one-shot about the Tenma twins (Pegasus's adopted children), Yakou and Gekkou from the manga Yugioh R!, in their time at the orphanage before being adopted. For my friend Naddie.


"So… what are you gonna do about this Tenma? Are you going to cry? Are you going to beg me not to tear your precious little card in pieces?" the older boy snickered as did his fellow bullies that were gathered around him. Yakou was lying on his knees on the dirt, struggling not to burst in tears. No, he would be strong. He wasn't going to do that… He wasn't going to tear his card apart was he?

"G…give it back…" the little boy mumbled as he desperately tried to sound more confident than he really was, but failing at it. It only made the older kids laugh hysterically.

"Oh you'll get it back. In shreds!" the arch-bully yelled and with a couple of swift moves it turned Yakou's card in confetti.

"NO!" Yakou yelled as he jumped up reaching out for the card. It was meaningless of course, not only because the item was already shredded in pieces, but also because the lackeys of the culprit got to him and made sure he landed on his butt this time. The laughter… The way their laughter and their taunts echoed in Yakou's mind.. "Weakling… Loser…". This time it was inevitable… He felt the tears that had been pooling in the corners of his eyes, stinging and flowing down his cheeks…

It wasn't a very strong card. It didn't hold such a great importance in the world of Duel Monsters. Tellus the Little Angel. Not a weak card, not the strongest. All it did was invoke a wing token when sent to the graveyard. Minor attack and defense points. Of course it could make the difference between loss and victory, it could buy the duelist another round and if used correctly it could lead its wielder to victory. Yakou was just a rookie but he had thought of many possibilities with this card. And it held a great importance for him. It was the first Duel Monsters' card he had ever gotten when him and his brother had opened that booster pack; their first Duel Monsters booster pack ever, when that man had come to the orphanage and brought that huge box with him. Yakou was feeling under the weather, as he very often did, that day, so Gekkou had made sure to grab a starter deck for him too, as well as a bunch of boosters they could both choose cards from. They decided to open the booster packs first and Gekkou said Yakou should be the one to choose first because he was sick. Yakou was really thrilled with this game. The illustrations made his heart flutter. He chose the card without checking its effect or attribute or attack/defense points. He liked the design. A mecha-looking angel with a cute appearance. It wasn't a fierce monster like some others that the pack included, but it caught Yakou's eye. He was going to build a good deck one day and that card was going to be part of it.

"There goes your wimpy card crybaby" the other kid laughed at his crying face while Yakou's little eyes, narrowed and wet, just gazed upon the pieces of paper inside the dirt of the orphanage's yard. Those kids were orphans too, just like the Tenma twins. How could they be so cruel and heartless? As if losing one's family isn't pain enough… Yakou suffered in that place. He hated it. Gekkou was different. He wasn't per se happy, Yakou was weak maybe but he was smart. He knew his brother wasn't happy the way things were. But Gekkou had something Yakou lacked. He was optimistic and courageous. The boy did find himself admiring his older –by a few minutes alone- twin, but at times he'd feel envy too… He'd feel jealous of his brother's bravery and positive attitude. Yakou wanted to stay curled in a corner alone most of the time. He very often felt like crying even when no one did anything to him… But this… being taunted and mocked… And one of the few things he held precious, even for silly reasons maybe, had been destroyed in front of his eyes and there was nothing he could do but cry and feel pain. As always. Yakou was boiling inside. It wasn't exactly fury; it was a mix of despair and anger most likely. He felt so weak and that made the pain in his chest even worse. His brows furrowed and he gritted his teeth at that thought, with the salty tears still staining his face. A small, most probably involuntary growl escaped his throat, as his little fists clenched over the ground trapping some dirt between his fingers.

"Hahahaaha! Seriously?" the bully cackled. "What are you gonna do? Beat us up with your imaginary super powers? Face it Tenma… We're three, and you're _alone…_" Yakou felt the tears blurring his vision. He was right. He didn't stand a chance. All he could do is just stand there, pathetic and weak and wait for them to lay upon him whatever taunts and insults they had. His blurred vision probably prevented him from noticing the shadow that was shed over him, but he clearly heard the voice of its owner.

"He's NOT alone!" Gekkou yelled at the top of his lungs. "He will never be alone! And he's stronger than you bullies will ever be! You hide behind the insults because YOU are the ones that are alone!" His voice was panting and almost trembling. It wasn't anger, it wasn't hatred –Gekkou couldn't really bring himself to hate anyone- it was the truth that was gushing out of him, as he saw the three older kids bullying his brother. It was true, Yakou could be considered weak. He was so closed to himself, so quiet, so shy, that he might give the impression of a weakling…if you were an idiot. But Gekkou knew, he knew his brother was strong in ways those kids would never understand. Gekkou knew that true strength and value couldn't be measured with how loudly you yelled to the others and how much you hurt them to make yourself feel better. Yakou was kind and intelligent and so much better in many things than he, himself, was.

"Ge…Gekkou…." little Yakou mumbled wiping some tears off his cheeks. His brother had come to the rescue… Again. Yes Gekkou was the brave twin… The better twin. Yakou found himself thinking that maybe he would have avoided a confrontation if he had seen Gekkou being bullied –something that was probably not true- but Gekkou was sure to run to his brother's- or anyone else's that might need it-, aid. Gekkou wasn't scared and pathetic… Gekkou wasn't weak… The bully chuckled again.

"What do you know? Now we have two losers eh?"

"You think hurting other people makes you strong? You're weak because you need to do that in order to feel better about yourselves! YOU are the losers!" Gekkou clenched his fists but wasn't yelling any more. He wasn't going to become like them. Of course he should have expected what came next and to a degree he might have; he had confronted the bullies and thrown their own weakness on their faces. One of them decided to throw something back at Gekkou's face. It wasn't that strong, but the kid's punch startled the little boy that lost his balance and fell over his brother who was lying right behind him. Now both twins were on the ground and Gekkou had a nice bruise on his left cheek as the remaining two of the gang approached them and started kicking the ground, throwing dirt over the two helpless children and taking the chance to give them some kicks themselves in the process. Gekkou shielded his brother and took most of the hits, while Yakou kept crying and begging them to stop. But bullies don't stop until they're satisfied –which is really never, no satisfaction can come from violence, only more twisted need for it- or they are forced to.

"HEY! YOU! What are you doing there?!" a middle-aged, conservatively dressed woman, with a whistle hanging around her neck, as if she was a referee in a football game, came barging their way. The gang decided to break it off and ran away –of course – grumbling leaving the twins almost covered in dirt. "Are you boys alright?" the woman bent down to her knees and looked at Gekkou's face. "Oh lord did they hit you?" she asked concerned. This wasn't the first time the twins had been attacked. Sadly there were many older children in the orphanage that preyed upon the supposedly weaker ones. The Tenma twins had a delicate structure, soft features and they were pretty closed and timid. The older one was more outgoing and popular but the little one was very introvert, barely ever talking to anyone but his brother and really shy. Those right there were exactly the characteristics that attracted bullies.

"I'm ok… My brother…" Gekkou mumbled, when in fact he was the one that had taken most of the impact, physically at least, while Yakou got away with a muddy face because of the tears. The woman helped Gekkou get on his feet and he he did the same for his brother.

"Are you sure you're not hurt anywhere else?" the woman asked again looking at the older twin's face.

"No, I'm fine" he said forcing a kind smile on his lips, in order to reassure the woman he was ok.

"Ok, let's get you boys cleaned up…" she said gently putting her hands on the backs of the boys and nudging them to walk towards the main building. As they walked, Yakou turned his gaze backwards, on the ground, where the pieces of his precious card were covered in dirt, much like himself.

….

"Hey Yakou…". The younger Tenma twin that was sitting on his bed and looking out the window turned to see his older brother extending his hand, with a Duel Monsters card in it, his way. They were all clean now, although Gekkou had gained some nice bruises on his arms and legs to accompany his swollen cheek. Yakou blinked, a little confused. "Come on, take in" Gekkou said smiling. Yakou was reluctant. He self-consciously took the card in his hands and looked at it.

"Learning Elf?..." he said mechanically looking at his brother. Gekkou nodded smiling.

"Yes. I thought about it and its effect is somewhat similar to Tellus. When it's sent to the graveyard it gives you another chance. A draw instead of a token, but I thought it would go well in your deck"

"Gekkou… You… You're giving me your card?"

"Mh-mm. Tellus was almost the basis of your deck so you need this more than me. I rearranged my deck and it works perfectly without it. And it's a bit stronger than Tellus so it will last more in battle" Gekkou said softly. Yakou's eyes got watery again. "I tried to salvage Tellus, but they had cleaned up the yard and the pieces were no longer there… But I promise, when Crawford-sama comes again, I'll ask him to give him back to you. I bet he won't refuse. He has so many cards" he grinned goofily. Yakou's eyes were filled with tears again and his lower lip was trembling slightly. He was at awe before his brother's greatness. It was true. Gekkou was definitely the better twin. Yakou felt small and insignificant before him… But he was so very touched. His brother had given him one of his best cards and had taken the beating for his sake…

"Lights out kids, off to your beds" a female voice was heard and the twins jerked up. Yakou didn't even manage to speak before Gekkou jumped on his bed smiling. He stretched a little and then covered himself. Yakou sniffled and once again wiped his tears.

"Ahhhh I'm sleepy" Gekkou said yawning. Yakou got on his bed and tucked himself in properly as well. Soon the lights were out and the room was shrouded in darkness. It was more like a dorm really. About 20 little beds arrayed in a huge space. Gekkou was indeed sleepy, but he couldn't get himself to sleep. He could hear his brother's anxious sleepless breath in the next bed. He waited for a few minutes, before he slowly climbed out of bed quietly and walked to his brother's bed with small steps. "Yakou?..." he whispered. The rustling of fabric was heard as Yakou turned to see his brother's face, he could hardly make out in the darkness.

"Gekkou?..."

"I can't sleep… Do you mind if I sleep with you tonight?" he said softly. Again the fabric rustled, as Yakou made way for his brother to lie next to him in bed. Gekkou climbed on the bed quietly and turned so that he could see his brother and give him a reassuring smile. Yakou gave him a small smile as well. "Goodnight Yakou" he whispered again before he closed his eyes. Yakou waited for a few seconds, before he shyly slipped his hand over his brother's, as they lay facing each other.

"Goodnight Gekkou… Thank you."

The End~


End file.
